South Ayrshire School Pupils Pilot Cutting-Edge LiFi Technology

pureLiFi has deployed its LiFi solutions – which use light to establish wireless internet connections – at Kyle Academy secondary school in Ayr, Scotland.

The project is being conducted in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh and is being overseen by Scottish Futures Trust, which supports the Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy. The Scottish Government also supported the pilot with a £16,000 grant through its Digital Schools initiative for equipment and installation. pureLiFi and the LiFi Research and Development Centre at the University of Edinburgh provided resources for the execution of the pilot with hands-on support and subsequent testing.

South Ayrshire Council’s Kyle Academy is the first school globally to pilot real LiFi technology within the classroom. The installation of pureLiFi’s LiFi-XC system comprised eight LiFi-enabled LED light bulbs in the ceiling and students have been given access to LiFi-XC Stations that plug into their laptops enabling high-speed connectivity through the lights.

Student Toby Nixon who has taken part in the pilot said, “It is exciting to be part the world first LiFi deployment in a school especially because it is a technology born in Scotland, a country with a proud history of innovation.”

South Ayrshire Council’s portfolio holder for lifelong learning, councillor William Grant, said: “It’s been really exciting for Kyle Academy to be part of this pilot project to enhance wireless technology and feedback from young people, who have definitely seen an improvement in connectivity, has been positive. It’s easy to see the potential the technology has, and the difference it could make in the future – not just in schools, but in business and in society – and I look forward to seeing how it moves forward.”

Professor Harald Haas, of University of Edinburgh and co-founder of pureLiFi, commented, “LiFi was born in Scotland at a TED Global talk that I presented in 2011. Seven years later, I am absolutely thrilled to see true LiFi deployed for the first time in a school in Scotland. Connectivity has become a basic need to enable prosperity. This world’s first pilot not only offers secure connectivity in a school, but hopefully inspires the next generation to join us in innovating for humanity and prosperity.”